


me, i fall in love with you every single day

by earlgrey_milktea



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Relationship Study, Slice of Life, it's v cute i swear, timeline fic of sorts, tiny bit of angst if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 03:03:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7490874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgrey_milktea/pseuds/earlgrey_milktea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>They wrestle a bit, Daichi dropping the ladle into the pot as Koushi clings to his middle, refusing to let go. Their laughter fills the kitchen as the curry pot bubbles merrily, and Koushi thinks---not for the first time and definitely not for the last time---that there is nowhere else he’d rather be.</p>
</blockquote><br/>the story of daichi and koushi, how they fall in love and never really stop.
            </blockquote>





	me, i fall in love with you every single day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> hello dear recipient!!  
> i wanted to challenge myself and write for a pairing i usually don't, but i was also?? afraid?? i might get it wrong, so i stuck with tropes i know very well aha. sorry it's not an AU, but i've filled in the blanks for the daisuga we don't see on screen, and i hope you'll like it!  
> it's all really fluffy and married--which is, apparently, the only way i know how to write daisuga, forgive me--so please enjoy!  
> (all the exclamations in ur dear creator letter was really cute, i'd love to be friends after reveals are out, ehe~)
> 
> *****heads up** for very slight implied/referenced homophobia near the middle
> 
> title inspiration from ed sheeran's thinking out loud (which is. _the_ song for this fic, it was v hard choosing a line)

“This is the last box.”

“Really? The very last one? You didn’t forget the one in Asahi’s back trunk, did you?”

“No, Koushi, I didn’t. Does it look like we have room for any more boxes?”

Daichi puts his hands on his hips, looking pointedly around them. The entire entryway is stuffed full with cardboard boxes, plastic bags, and suitcases. They spill out into the kitchen around the corner, and probably into the living area, too.

Koushi grins sheepishly. He adjusts the hair clip keeping his bangs out of the way. “I just don’t want to forget anything, you know? That’d be bad luck in our new apartment, don’t you think?”

“Our new apartment,” Daichi repeats. He grins back at Koushi. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the sound of that.”

“It does have a nice ring to it.”

They give each other silly grins, their bodies drifting closer of their own accord. It’s almost natural, the way their arms fit around each other’s waist so easily, how they know every crook and corner of the other. While they’ve only officially been together for six years, it feels like a lifetime. A lifetime Koushi would cherish forever.

Their lips are hovering barely a centimetre apart when there’s an awkward cough behind them.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Asahi says, rubbing the back of his neck, averting his eyes in a slightly nervous manner that he’s never really grown out of. “The moving truck’s already gone, but is there anything else you guys need help with while I’ve still got the car?”

“No, it’s okay, I think we’re good. You’re meeting with Noya and Tanaka later, right? We shouldn’t keep you.”

“Noya will never let us hear the end of that.”

They share a laugh at the thought of the small man, now a bartender at a local bar, chasing them down and demanding them to relinquish their hold on his favourite ace.

Koushi claps a hand on Asahi’s shoulder. “Thanks for helping us move today, Asahi.”

“Yeah,” Daichi says, “when we get everything settled you should bring the boys over for a visit, too.”

Koushi claps his hands together. “We should do a housewarming party! Get the whole team together again!”

Daichi and Asahi exchange a glance. Asahi is already looking apprehensive at the thought of the dozen or so former Karasuno Volleyball Club members together in one enclosed space again. Daichi is fearing for their new furniture.

“We’ll see,” says Daichi, placing a hand on Koushi’s back. “Kageyama and Hinata are still out of the country, aren’t they? Training for the next Olympics and all.”

“Ah, they grow up so fast.” Koushi pretends to wipe a tear from his cheek.

Asahi laughs. “Well, I’ll let you two settle into your new apartment. I know I’m only getting in the way of your, ah,  _celebration._ _"_  

It takes them a moment to catch the meaning of their friend’s wording. As if on cue, both their faces turn red.

“Asahi! I knew Noya’s a bad influence on you!” Koushi punches him in the stomach in a friendly manner, laughing despite the red of his face.

Daichi sees Asahi to the door, the taller man nursing the bruise forming around his middle. “Text us when you get there, okay? See you soon.”

They manage to drag the boxes into the respective rooms according to the sharpie markings on them. Koushi unpacks most of their clothes and bathroom things for ease of living while Daichi gets to work in the kitchen. It’s kind of mundane, boring adult stuff, but Koushi finds that he doesn’t mind it. How can he, when he’s been wanting this for so long, when his best friend in the whole wide world, his other half in all sense of the word, is right there by his side?

He starts when he feels familiar arms wrapping around his waist and a familiar weight pressing against his back. Instinctively, he leans back against Daichi, sighing contentedly.

“You’ve been humming that bubblegum pop song for a while now,” Daichi whispers into his ear.

“Didn’t you say you like my voice?” Koushi teases, nudging his head against Daichi’s.

“Mm, yeah, I like everything about you.”

“You’re so embarrassing, Daichi.”

“Only when it comes to you.”

Koushi breathes out a long sigh, tilting his head with a smile. He doesn’t think he’s stopped smiling since the first box came through the door. “We did it, Daichi. We’re finally here.”

“Cohabiting?”

“I’m making it into such a big deal, aren’t I? I mean, we’ve slept over at each other’s place hundreds of times, but this... Signing our names together, having our nameplates at the door...”

“It is a big deal.” Turning him slightly, Daichi kisses his cheek, then the edge of his smile. “But I’m glad for it.”

Koushi giggles against his lips. “Me, too, Daichi. Me, too.”

 

 

 

The first time Daichi ever laid eyes on Suga, they were fifteen, baby-faced, freshly out of middle school and determined to play on a team that will reach the Nationals.

Daichi was shy back then, used to a small group of friends and being the responsible one. But Suga strode right up to him and introduced himself, facing him head on with a smile that will steal Daichi’s breath every time.

They struck up a quick, steadfast friendship, bonding over volleyball practice and mutual friendship with Asahi. Daichi liked the way Suga never let anything get him down for long, not the long hard practices Coach Ukai ran, not the challenging questions their first high school exam threw at them, not even missing the last point in the last set. He grew used to having Suga by his side, a solid presence, and slowly but surely he outgrew his shyness.

Lunchtimes were spent at Asahi’s desk, or out in the courtyard where they could toss a volleyball back and forth or discuss the latest anime episode that had aired the night before. Daichi liked the way Suga laughed, one hand covering his mouth until his eyes turn into tiny crescents, the bright sound bubbling from his open mouth until Daichi himself started to laugh along. With such a caring disposition, Daichi was pleasantly surprised to find out that Suga’s sense of humour matched his. He was slightly more surprised to find that Suga had a mischievous side to him, surfacing when they accidentally launched a small prank war with some of the boys from the class next door. Their classmates knew them to be able to burst into laughter just by a few stray glances and inside jokes, and Asahi often suffered in exasperated silence as they chuckled to who-knows-what.

After practice, they’d wave goodbye to Asahi down the hill and walk home together. Daichi liked the fact that while they never ran out of things to talk about, they could walk in comfortable silence if they wanted. He liked how he could joke with Suga, that the other would elbow him back, wearing a grin that seemed to calm Daichi’s heart wordlessly. He liked how Suga smiled at him when they reach the intersection where their paths parted, how he always said, “See you tomorrow, Daichi,” like a promise.

Daichi really liked keeping that promise.

 

 

 

“I’m home!”

“Welcome back.”

Slipping his bag off his shoulder, Koushi trudges tiredly into the apartment. Daichi is on his laptop at the dining table, wearing his glasses and a frown of concentration on his face. Still, Koushi can’t help the soft sigh that escapes him as he looks fondly at his partner.

He really likes coming home to Daichi.

Koushi plops into the chair next to him, scooting over until he can lean his head against Daichi’s shoulder. He watches the other type a few more sentences, blinking sleepily.

“How was your day?”

“Errghhh,” groans Koushi, turning his face into the fabric of Daichi’s shirt. He can feel Daichi laughing at him, the low rumble starting in his belly and bringing a smile to Koushi’s face like a reflex. A hand comes up to run through his hair.

“That bad?”

“High schoolers are ridiculous. And stupid.”

“You’re the one that decided to become a teacher.”

“Well, we weren’t that bad when we were teenagers. Were we?”

Daichi hums, clicking save on his document. He closes his laptop, turning to press his lips against Koushi’s head. “Teenage you was plenty terrifying to me,” says Daichi, grinning.

“Oh, hush. You know you love me.”

“I do.”

Daichi leans forward to kiss him again, trailing his lips from Koushi’s temple to his cheeks until he’s giggling, tickled silly. He looks up at Daichi, inevitable grin on his face, and even though he’s bone-tired from dealing with teenage kids’ antics all day, he’s never felt happier. Here is a man that loves him, here is a man that he gets to come home to, every single day. When did Koushi get so lucky?

“Did you eat dinner yet?” he asks, pulling away slightly.

“Not yet. Do you want to go out? Or we could just order something and put on a movie, if you’d like.”

“Hmm... how about that place down the block?”

Daichi pauses. “You mean... the one with the mapo tofu you like so much?”

“The spiciest mapo tofu,” Koushi confirms. He grins as Daichi’s face pales a bit.

“Alright,” sighs Daichi. “Anything you want, Koushi.”

 

 

 

 

Daichi realized during his second year.

Their team had slowly dwindled until they barely had enough members to appear at tournaments. The first years were scared away by Ukai, which Daichi could understand, but it did leave the team worse for wear. But Suga was still there, staying late for extra practice with him, even if he was rarely put on court. Daichi knew how hard that must have been, having watched Asahi being subbed in a couple games because of his height and power, but then Daichi himself was subbed in for defense a couple of times. It was the proudest moment of his life, standing on court with the official Karasuno uniform on his back, but he’d be even prouder if both his best friends could stand beside him.

He still walked home with Suga, but Daichi felt as if some distance had slipped between them. It was strange, seeing as they were basically inseparable since first year, but now it’s like there was a wall, and Daichi wasn’t tall enough to see through the other side. They talked about volleyball, about school, but there seemed to be little time for anything else.

Daichi understood Suga’s drive, though. So he tried to keep himself busy, too. He threw himself into his schoolwork, so much so that his mother commented on the way his marks seemed to be shooting straight up. He stayed late to receive Suga’s serves until both of them were drenched in sweat and Suga was satisfied with his accuracy.

“It’s the only way he’ll put me on court,” Suga told him, moving an empty water bottle to a spot behind the attack line. “Even if I have to play pinch server, it’s a start.”

They were both so preoccupied with working hard, Daichi found himself with little time to worry about the little itching feeling in his chest every time Suga smiled at him. Until, of course, the feeling decided to confront him about it. Or, rather, Asahi did.

“When are you going to make a move?” Asahi asked him over lunch. Suga was off running an errand for the teacher. Asahi, for once, wasn’t timidly averting his eyes at Daichi’s frown. “Suga’s not going to say anything if you don’t, Daichi. It’s up to you.”

Daichi knew that. He did. And he knew that he must’ve been really obvious if even Asahi was telling him to do something, but he just... couldn’t. What if Suga didn’t feel the same way? What if they were better off as friends? What if Daichi was just reading things wrong, he could ruin everything.

So Daichi ignored it. He didn’t have time to worry about this. It was just a temporary lapse of judgement. It would pass, he was sure of it. And so Daichi spent the rest of his second year of high school ignoring the pointed glances Asahi shot him when no one else was looking, and ignoring the swelling inside his chest whenever he looked at Suga and found Suga looking right back at him.

 

 

 

 

“Hey, hey, are you okay?”

Koushi scrubs at his face, sniffling slightly. “No,” he says into his hands, “but I will be.”

He feels Daichi’s larger hands wrap around his own, gently pulling them away. “I’m sorry our dinner turned out to be a disaster.”

“It’s not your fault.” It was just rude, homophobic people that had nothing better to do than ruin a perfectly good date because of their bitter, cold hearts. Koushi was a lover, but sometimes he really hated the world.

“It’s not your fault, either.”

Koushi sighed. “I know. I just.” He heaves out a long sigh. “I’m just so happy with you, Daichi, that I forget sometimes the rest of the world doesn’t seem to understand that, doesn’t seem to _want_ to understand. And that honestly just... it just _sucks.”_

“I know.” Daichi wraps his arms around Koushi, and they just breathe together for a moment. Daichi’s arms are strong, familiar, reassuring, and Koushi allows himself to let go of the hurt and humiliation from just moments before when they stormed out of the restaurant.

Eventually, Koushi feels better enough to pull back a little. “I think I’m a little more upset we didn’t get to try their pasta,” he says, smiling slightly.

Daichi laughs. He reaches down, entangling their fingers together. “Let’s go home, then?”

“Let’s go home.”

 

 

 

 

In their third year, Daichi had his hands full with new first years, the return of a Coach Ukai, and an actual chance at making it to nationals.

The tingly feeling in his chest whenever Suga smiled at him hadn’t gone away, but he didn’t let it bother him that much. He was fine with what they had. Walking home with Suga, spending quiet study sessions with Suga, sleeping over at Suga’s, these things were enough. He was fine with this.

Until he wasn’t. The weekend after the girls’ team lost, Michimiya called him out. Daichi wasn’t dumb, he’d known her from middle school, and she was one of his closest friends. He knew how to read her. And from the way she blushed around him, the way she’d sometimes stare at him with this starry look in her eyes, he knew what she wanted to say before she even said it. That didn’t make it any easier to reply, though.

“I really, really like you, Daichi. In a more-than-friends way. And I know I probably shouldn’t bother you with this before your games, but I’d already promised myself that I would confess, whether we won or, well, lost. The game. So. This is me confessing.” She stood before him, back straight and chin up, still proud even as her face burned red and her gaze wavered from his face.

And he really, really liked her, too, but in a just-friends way. “Michimiya,” he stuttered, “you’re a really important friend to me, but I... I’m sorry. I can’t...” He looked at the way she stared back at him even as he was rejecting her feelings, still brave and determined, the strong captain he’d always admired. He pushed on, quietly, “I can’t accept your feelings, because... I have feelings for someone else.”

She took it in stride, because Michimiya was nothing if not steady, but that was the first time Daichi ever admitted it out loud to someone else.

He woke up the next morning to a text from Suga, asking if he was ready to face their next opponents. Daichi groaned into his pillow even as a wide grin rose helplessly to his face.

 

 

 

 

Koushi is usually a morning person. He often wakes even before his alarm clock. But on Sunday mornings, he prefers to stay in bed until the call of hunger is too loud to ignore.

Of course, now he has another reason to stay snuggled up in bed past nine.

He rolls over, a smile tilting his lips as he slides up against Daichi’s broad back. The other is still asleep, steady breaths lifting his shoulders slowly. Raising a finger, he traces nonsense along the bare skin before him. Daichi shivers, starting to wake, and Koushi snickers. He traces one last phrase before Daichi rolls over.

He’s greeted by a sleepy, confused face, Daichi’s brow scrunched together and his eyes barely blinking open. “Did you just... write... ‘sexy back’ on my back...?”

Koushi laughs, hard enough the bed starts shaking and he starts making that little snorting noise that he’s never been able to get rid of (he’s tried, many times, never succeeded). He’s still laughing when he feels Daichi’s strong arms trap him to the bed, the other man’s weight hovering over him. Koushi looks up at him, still wiping away tears from the laughter.

“Why are you up to no good so early in the morning?” Daichi’s morning voice is a low rumble, slightly rough around the edges, and never fails to bring a tingly feeling all the way to Koushi’s toes.

“I’m just stating facts, Dai.”

Daichi dips his head down suddenly, capturing Koushi’s lips with his own. A little more awake now, he isn’t bothered when Koushi squirms away, saying something about morning breath, instead tilting his head to mouth at the skin under Koushi’s jaw and near his collarbone.

Koushi giggles at the ticklish feeling. “Now who’s up to no good?” he laughs, and Daichi grins down at him.

They fall back onto their sides, gently nuzzling against each other. Koushi likes Sunday mornings, being able to laze around in bed with his favourite person in the world. The bed is warm with the two of them, but he likes the feeling of being tucked under Daichi’s chin, Daichi’s arms around him like a security blanket. This sort of soft happiness, sometimes Koushi has trouble believing that he’s really found this, that he’s allowed to have something like this.

But every Sunday, without fail, he wakes to Daichi’s warmth beside him. That is more than enough.

 

 

 

They ended up attending the same university.

Daichi was in business and management while Suga was in education, but they still managed to meet up for lunch or on the weekends together. It was different, since they’re both busy studying and making new friends, but it was the same, because Daichi got to hear Suga’s brilliant laughter and they still found time to toss a volleyball around some weekends. That twinge in his chest whenever Suga was around never really went away, but Daichi had gotten used to holding himself back from reaching out to tuck the wild strands of silver hair behind Suga’s ears.

Then, one night, two weeks before the exam period, Daichi woke to the sound of knocking on his door. His roommate was the type to hole up in his room after dinner when he was studying, so Daichi reluctantly dragged himself out of bed, wondering who it was this late at night.

It was Suga. It wasn’t raining, but it might as well have been, given how miserable Suga looked. He’d raised his eyes tiredly, attempting and failing to smile. Still half asleep and completely unprepared, Daichi had ushered him in and went to brew chamomile tea, from the little tin in the corner of a cupboard that he was pretty sure he only ever used when Suga was over.

He’d never seen Suga like that before. He knew his friend tended to keep things to himself until he figured it out on his own, that Suga preferred to show a smile to the world. Sure, Suga had felt comfortable enough to show Daichi the serious side of him, the part of him that was insecure about his own skills and capability, but never before had Daichi seen him like that. Miserable, hurt, eyes red and tear tracks still visible on his cheeks.

His boyfriend just broke up with him, he told Daichi, and Daichi nodded along, even as his insides turned to ice because he knew that Suga had been more busy recently, but he hadn’t known he was dating somebody.

He hadn’t known that Suga would and could date a man.

Daichi was struck with the thought that there were things about Suga that he didn’t know. That was only natural, he supposed, but for some reason that thought bothered him.

But he wasn’t really one to talk about keeping secrets, was he.

Suga ended up staying the night, and Daichi had went about reassuring him that this new fact changed nothing, that Suga deserved better, that everything will be okay. His friend smiled back at him, a little bit sadly, but Daichi knew how strong Suga was. He didn’t say a word about the way his heart twinged, now a little more painfully, when Suga gave him a hug in the morning and whispered in his ear, “Thank you.”

 

 

 

 

The rain is coming down hard now, but still Daichi hasn’t returned. Koushi sits on the couch with his head in his hands, listening to the ticking of the clock and sniffling to himself. In the silence echoing since the loud yelling and the slamming of the door, Koushi finds himself thinking that this one bedroom apartment is suddenly too big for one person.

He doesn’t even remember why he was so angry, angry enough to scream hurtful things in Daichi’s face, angry enough to break one of their coffee mugs. He cleaned it up half an hour ago, but it doesn’t erase the echo of ceramic smashing against kitchen tile in his mind. Daichi didn’t take his phone with him. He’s probably drenched by now. Koushi just wants him to come home.

There’s knocking on the front door. Wiping his face quickly, he opens it, going still when he sees who it is.

“I... left my key inside when I left,” says Daichi awkwardly, eyes not quite meeting Koushi’s.

“Come in, you’ll catch a cold,” Koushi responds, stepping aside. He’s barely closed the door before Daichi is facing him again, finally lifting his red-rimmed eyes, the rain plastering his hair to his face and making him look so much younger and vulnerable than he is.

“I’m sorry, Koushi. I didn’t mean any of it, I just, I wanted to---”

“I’m sorry, too, Daichi, I don’t know why I just---”

They’re both stumbling over their words and their feet towards each other, until their arms are wrapped around the other, face pressed into shoulders and apologies dripping from their mouths.

“Let’s work it out?”

“Of course, of course---”

“I’m sorry, please don’t leave like that again---”

“I won’t, I won’t, I’m sorry---”

“I love you---”

“I love you, too---”

 

 

 

 

They’re well into their second year of post-secondary when Daichi finally found the courage to _do something already_ , as Asahi so kindly put it, about his stupid crush on his best friend. (Daichi suspects that Noya had been the one pestering Asahi to pester Daichi about his situation, because every time the old team got together the former Karasuno libero would wiggle his eyebrows at him while glancing pointedly at the man sitting beside him, until Daichi aimed his best Captain Glare in Noya’s direction.)

Suga had dated a few others since the big breakup when he first came out to Daichi, but none of them, as far as Daichi could tell, had been serious. He knew because Suga never bothered to introduce Daichi to any of them, not that Daichi wanted to meet anyone that got to hold Suga’s hand and kiss him and---

Daichi, on the other hand, pretended he was too busy with his studies to date, even though he always managed to make time for his friends and, of course, Suga. He was just glad that his friendship with Suga hadn’t faded away like many was bound to do once high school was over.

But he’d decided he’d had enough with his little heart twinging nonstop whenever his friend was near. Suga was coming over today for a movie night, and Daichi was going to ask him out, dammit. He’d even enlisted the help of his roommate, who laughed at him for ten whole minutes before clapping him on the back, a serious look replacing that confident smirk of his for once, telling him, “Good. It’s about time you stopped dancing around that boy of yours. Go get him, Sawamura.”

So when Suga finally put his chopsticks down after their takeout dinner, Daichi sat straight up, stared him down, and said the words he’d rehearsed and practiced with Kuroo until he was basically saying them in his sleep. He was so relieved that he managed to get them out without choking on his own spit, it took him a moment to hear the stunned silence that had fallen over them.

The twinge in his heart was back, but this time more like a punch in his heart. It had occurred to him that Suga would say no, but it hadn’t occurred to him that Suga might not want to be friends with him anymore. Daichi could feel his heart pounding twice as loud as his gaze dropped to his feet.

And then, Suga was taking his hand, smiling at him like he always did, so bright and happy and Daichi was so, so relieved.

“Yes. Of course I’d love to go out with you, Daichi.”

 

 

 

 

On a rare day off, Koushi stands by his kitchen table, sorting the mail.

He’s examining an envelope and wondering if it’s spam when something presses on the top of his head. He glances up. It’s Daichi, smiling at him and holding a cup of coffee.

“Why are you up so early?” Daichi sits down in the other chair, lifting his own mug to his lips.

“Thought I’d be an old man and get something done,” replies Koushi. He gestures to the mail in front of them. “Look at this, Daichi! Isn’t it amazing?”

Daichi looks, but he doesn’t get it. “The... bills? Usually people don’t smile when receiving bills, you know?”

“No! Not the bills, this. This.” Koushi swipes the bills away, pointing out the separate piles. “These are all addressed to you, these to me, and this.” He points to the biggest pile, beaming at Daichi. “This one, is for the both of us. Because we live together.”

It takes a few moments. Then a smile starts to spread across Daichi’s face as well. He puts down his mug before leaning forwards and pulling Koushi close. He pecks him on the nose.

“You’re absolutely adorable, you know that?”

Koushi laughs, closing his eyes and pressing closer. “Only because I’m with you.”

 

 

 

 

Dating Suga was better than anything Daichi could have dreamed of. And he’d spent _a lot_ of time dreaming of it. Things didn’t change all that much; they still met up for lunch, studied together, played volleyball, held movie nights. But now Daichi got to sit closer on the couch, until their legs were pressed up against each other. He could stare at Suga’s smile without feeling weird about it. He could reach over and brush the hair out of Suga’s eyes, allowing his hand to linger on his cheek, thumbing over the mole under Suga’s left eye. He was so happy it was ridiculous, to the point where Kuroo was shaking his head at him and telling him that his ceaseless smiling was starting to be creepy.

But there wasn’t a moment where Daichi regretted it. Even when they had to keep their hands to themselves in public, even when they had to sit through two awkward dinners with their parents, even when there were days when it looked like the whole world was against them and people like them, Daichi refused to let anything ruin the happiness he found in Suga.

Because when Suga took his hand, smiling at him like he did, Daichi felt his heart twinge, but this time, it wasn’t painful at all.

 

 

 

 

Thursday evening finds Daichi at the stove, stirring curry absently while Koushi sneaks up behind him. He lets out a startled noise when Koushi’s arms snake around his middle.

“Hi there. Finished your shower already?”

“Mm.” Koushi tucks his chin onto Daichi’s shoulder. “It’s not as fun when you’re not there.” He snickers when red rises on the other’s cheek. He pushes his face into Daichi’s shirt, inhaling the other man’s scent. It’s so familiar now, like fresh leaves and warm summer days, and it comforts Koushi like nothing else.

“Hey. Do you want to go somewhere? This weekend? Just the two of us?”

Koushi tilts his head. “Like a vacation?”

Daichi keeps his eyes on the pot when he replies. “It’s been a while since we moved in together. I just thought, you know... We could... do something, just the two of us, treat ourselves a little...”

“Sawamura Daichi.” Koushi lets a small grin spread across his face. “Are you asking me on a date?”

Daichi sighs. “We’ve been together for years, Koushi. I am not embarrassed to ask you on a date anymore.”

“Oh yeah? Because your face is all red, just like the first time you asked me out----”

“No! Stop! No curry for you!”

“Daichi, no! Not the curry!”

They wrestle a bit, Daichi dropping the ladle into the pot as Koushi clings to his middle, refusing to let go. Their laughter fills the kitchen as the curry pot bubbles merrily, and Koushi thinks---not for the first time and definitely not for the last time---that there is nowhere else he’d rather be.

 

 

 

 

Daichi graduated first, but Suga was completing his experience training by then. They’d been going steady for quite a while now. Daichi could barely remember a time when he thought he was the only one helplessly pining after his best friend.

They were still renting separate places, even though lately they’d been staying over at one or the other. It’s nice, spending the night, staying up late talking or just falling asleep on each other while cuddling on the couch. Daichi liked the way Suga’s head fit in the crook of his neck. He liked the way Suga’s skin felt against his. He liked the way they still managed to hold inside jokes and laugh and laugh until both of their roommates were rolling their eyes in exasperation. He liked the way Suga and him just... worked.

So when he finally landed his first job and found the letter from the landlord in his mailbox, Daichi began looking for apartments online. He didn’t mention it to Suga just yet. He consulted his friends first.

Asahi teared up a little, enough for Daichi to thump him on the back from secondhand embarrassment. But his friend was happy for him, and that’s all that matters.

Michimiya squealed a little, but Daichi was glad she thought it was a good idea. She’d just moved in with her own boyfriend steady of four years now. She looked good, and Daichi was as happy for her as she for him.

Kuroo clapped him on the back and grinned, looking like a proud parent. “That’s right, buddy, build yourself a nest for you and loverboy, and he’ll always come home to you.” Daichi found his words a little overdramatic, but it looked like his former roommate was speaking from experience, which Daichi knew _did_ work out for him, having met the man’s steady partner in the past. He was thankful for that insight, because it did give him the confidence he needed to go through with the next step.

He met up with Suga after work like always. The moment he laid eyes on the other man, with his windswept hair and default sunny smile, Daichi could feel the anxiety in his heart fade away. This was Suga and him, of course it would work out.

Before he could say more than a greeting however, Suga was gripping his hands and staring into his eyes, brown eyes wide and earnest and so very determined. Daichi could feel himself shivering. When Suga got intense, it was pretty hard to look away.

“I love you,” he said without preamble, and Daichi thought he would die right there, for how fast and hard his heart was pounding.

“I love you, too,” he returned thoughtlessly, and then Suga was smiling like the sun rising, and Daichi could feel himself fall in love all over again.

He was saying the words before he even realized, only the small look of surprise on Suga’s face confirming that it was real.

“Move in with me, Suga. Let’s move in together.”

“Of course, Daichi.” Suga squeezes his hands, his eyes shining like stars. “Anything you want.”

 

 

 

Koushi is half awake and brushing his teeth when it hits him.

His other half has already finished his morning routine, having to go into work early that day, but the smell of his aftershave lingers in the air, just as much as the lovebites and ghost of his touch remains on Koushi’s skin. This is normal for them, too, but today Koushi zeroes in on all these details like he’s never noticed them before.

There are two sets of toothbrushes sitting side by side next to the sink. Two towels on the rack. They share a closet with their clothes mixed together, only Daichi’s suits hanging on the left and Koushi’s shirts on the right. Sweaters that started out on one side of the closet have mysteriously migrated all over the place, until neither of them can remember which sweater is who's from how often they both wear them. They share a bed that is just big enough for them to lay tangled up together. There are two common sets of cutlery and matching mugs and plates and bowls sitting in the cupboard. The bookshelf is lined with books that Koushi hoards and DVDs that Daichi collects. The shoe rack by the front door neatly displays their shoes, side by side.

Koushi spits out the water in his mouth, his eyes wide as he stares at his reflection. He’s been living with this man for so long, the domesticity has escaped him in the normalcy of it all. But now it’s hitting him like a volleyball to the face, and his heart is swelling and so full from it all. He almost feels like crying.

Wiping his mouth hastily, he barely stops to throw on a sweater before he’s running down the hall, opening the front door, and leaning over the railing as he scans the ground below until he spots Daichi helping the elderly lady that lives downstairs with her little grocery cart.

“Daichi!” he calls, his voice surprisingly loud in the early morning. “Daichi! Sawamura Daichi, marry me. I love you, I love you so much, I want to marry you. Say you’ll marry me!”

Daichi’s looking up at him, slightly alarmed at how breathless he is, and maybe the fact that he’s leaning halfway over the railing in only a worn sweater and some boxers, his hair still messy from sleep and staring down with eyes wide and determined like he’s seventeen and standing on the court at nationals all over again and---

Daichi smiles, and says, “Of course, Koushi. Anything you want.”


End file.
